When a wedding planner/coordinator spends most of her time talking about how much she cares about her clients and the money they can save, my ears perk up. When the same wedding planner/coordinator has such rave reviews that you briefly contemplate just plagiarizing one of them, I get super pumped. When that person is Dawn of Brooklyn’s Dawn Mauberret Events, aka the coolest feminist wedding planner around, I start seeing how many happy dance GIFS you can find and link to it in a post (three is reasonable, right?). Dawn is truly our people: in a past life she worked as the events coordinator of BUST magazine, and she brings that experience to her wedding planning. (Not to mention prices that start under $1,000. In Brooklyn.) I, for one, fell hard for her when she explained how her feminist background helps her navigate tricky situations for her couples:
This comes in handy when couples have parents who have very traditional expectations for the ceremony and wedding. I love helping come up with solutions for how to modernize old traditions without compromising anyone’s beliefs and feelings.
There are several reasons why Dawn Mauberret inspires adoration from her clients, but three of them really stand out:
she wants to save you money: For real. She’s a pro at coming up with creative solutions and finding emerging small businesses that have tons of talent and lower price tags. Dawn has worked for several small businesses, and all of that know-how means she can stretch a dollar without compromising your fun and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty in the process. She told us this about her time as catering coordinator for the Brooklyn landmark, Roberta’s Pizza:
THIS background is huge in my process… I’m not afraid to get dirty or move furniture or cases of booze. Many planners are quick to charge for this and that and everything minute and finger that is lifted. Once I’m hired, I’m there, I’m present, and with you all of the way. Basically, I get sh!t done.
she won’t try to up-sell you: Dawn believes in honesty and transparency, and she’s not going to sell you something you don’t need. This not only helps you figure out where to successfully allocate your wedding budget—it also keeps your stress at the most minimal level.
She’ll make you feel good: Dawn’s approach to weddings is calm and relaxed. You’re not going to be worrying about this or that, because she’s got it handled. If hiccups and mishaps happen the day of, you’ll never find out because it will never impact your day because truly? It’s her job and mission to keep the day and planning process as smooth and fun as possible.
Dawn Mauberret Events offers three standard options:
Day of Event Management and Production ($950): This package is for the couple who has everything planned and just needs help getting things set up and broken down. If you have your timeline on lock and know how you want the wedding to be executed, you hand everything over to Dawn and she makes it happens. This includes:
- One in-person meeting before the wedding
- 10 hours of on-site work on the day of the wedding
- Implementation of room flip, dances, toasts, and “must shoot” photos
- Setup of wedding decor (guestbook, programs, favors, escort cards)
- Breakdown and packing of personal items, decor, and gifts
Month-of (Day-of) Coordinating ($1,800–$2,200): This is for the couple who needs help. Month-of coordination includes everything above, plus assistance with one pre- or post-wedding day event (read: brunch or rehearsal). Dawn pulls together your vendor contracts and builds a cohesive timeline for the entire wedding weekend. And when Dawn says “month-of,” she actually means you can begin working with her forty-five weeks before your wedding event. This package also includes:
- At least two in-person meetings
- One venue walk-through
- Up to 12 hours of on-site work
- Assistance and proofing with floor plans and seating charts
- Unlimited vendor recommendations and consultation via email and phone
- Assistance with one pre- or post-wedding event
- Implementation of room flip, dances, toasts, “must shoot” photos, and special guest needs
- Setup and breakdown of wedding decor
- Consistent vendor and venue communication regarding confirmations and timing
Partial Planning Package ($2,200–$2,800): And finally, if you really just need Dawn Mauberret to work the full range of her magic on your event, you can opt for this package. You’ll get everything above, plus four in-person meetings and all of her spreadsheets and organizational templates (aka the know-how for future events).
But beyond all that, the thing about Dawn Mauberret is that she’s just cool, and you kind of want to hang out in her cool aura and absorb some of that energy. And that’s just Dawn on her own. When you hire Dawn Mauberret to plan and/or coordinate your wedding, you might end up so infatuated with everything she brings to the table that it’s like she is the actual savior of your wedding:
Remember when that mustachioed pilot landed a plane in the Hudson? And everyone was like, “Yay! Hero!” Well, that feat is the sort of thing that Dawn Mauberret does every single weekend. She is so calm, so collected, so on top of every single detail. My husband and I did not have a single thing to worry about on the day of our wedding, and it is all because of Dawn. We didn’t originally think that we were going to use a wedding coordinator, but we are really glad we did. She helped us think about the important pre-wedding questions, suggested amazing and affordable vendors, and on the day of the wedding everything was perfectly organized and set so that we didn’t have anything to worry about.
Before we hired Dawn, I had originally thought that my friends and family were going to do the decorating and setup on the day of, but Dawn effortlessly took on that task so my friends and family were with me, and not running around. When we walked into the space, I was blown away by how beautiful she had made it look—above and beyond what I could even imagine. She was so on top of keeping the space looking beautiful and put together throughout the night. If you are thinking about getting married, call Dawn. —Bradford and Ora
So guys, if you’re getting married in the New York area and you think you might need even a little bit of help, then you should get on that. Because it’s possible the only person who wants to save your wedding time and money more than you do is Dawn.
